3 Honest Ways of Getting More Clients for your Creative Business

We all know that unless you are lucky enough to only rely on inbound leads, acquiring new ones is usually quite costly.  In the creative industry most of us tend to be friendly social people, so why not use some of these skills to boost the sales prospecting efforts with minimal effort.

1. Generously Motivate Your Referees

A great way to not only land a new lead but begin your relationship with them with some amount of rapport, is by having a client refer you to them. Unfortunately, your client may not have referring you on their mind at the right time. The best and most obvious way to influence this is through motivation. Material motivation. At some point in your interactions with your clients, mention to them the benefits of referring you to their network. Be generous, it’s worth it. Reiterate this in further correspondence so it sticks, and hope that the motivation was high enough for them to throw your name out there at the right time. Now, this may seem a bit simple and you may think this is something you do anyway but more often than not we skip this step and only do it sometimes. Just make it a part of your routine and watch the leads flow in. And remember, the reward for that first referral will drive the future ones so make it count.

2. What to do With Positive Feedback From Your Client

Asking the “net promoter” question: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?” Then, for those who respond with “highly likely,” make it easy for them to do so right then. Give them the option to easily send their written testimonial to you, or maybe post a recommendation to their social media network connections. If needed you should also ask to use their testimonial for your website or mention it on social media and maybe even give them a way to upload a video singing your praises. Use this moment of their appreciation for your work to get a little something in return. Of course, you can also offer to do the same for them, keep the circle of giving going!

3. Network Through Tangible Gifts

Function Point had terrific and surprisingly successful results from reaching prospects through yo-yos! Who would have through that a random, inexpensive kids toy could have adults interested and engaged with a software company. We can all relate to being interested in not only free stuff, but especially free stuff that makes our lives more interesting or more productive. So whether you give your prospects a free pen, a stress ball or a yo-yo, make sure it has your branding and contact information and watch the leads role in. This may not necessarily result in instant sales, but it will keep you in their minds and more importantly, will make you stand out above the rest.

And you, what are you doing to get more leads? Share your experience with us! And if you want some yoyos, feel free to reach out to us.